The Global Human Rights Bulletin

Publication of the New York Law School LWOB Student Division

State and federal governments are using Bush-era quarantine laws to try to protect the public from the spread of Ebola. However, these intrusive laws raise serious questions about personal rights. While protecting the public health is a reasonable objective, the laws need more specificity about boundaries and guidelines to avoid abuse.

The SCOTUS temporarily stayed the execution of Mark Christeson due to the fact that his case received no federal review, as his counsel neglected to file his appeal in a timely manner. 15 former state and federal judges argued that his counsel had effectively abandoned him.

The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand has initiated an official investigation into the alleged torture of two murder suspects in Koh Tao, Thailand. The two suspects claim to have been beaten and suffocated in the course of the murder investigation.

As calls for democracy continue in Hong, Honk Kong leader CY Leung claimed that the pro-democracy movement is not an “entirely” domestic movement, but rather one influenced by international forces. A member of the Honk Kong Federation of Students believes that this statement indicates that the local government intends to maintain its crackdown on the movement despite recent calls for discussions.

Former Santiago Mayor, Cristian Labbé, was arrested for associating with the DINA secret police during the Pinochet dictatorship. Labbé is among ten other former military members charged in relation to the human rights crimes committed during this time, specifically the disappearances and executions of thirteen people at the Tejas Verdes barracks in 1973 and 1974.

The IACHR ruled that the Dominican Republic must redress the harm it caused to Dominicans descended from Haiti with illegal deportations and forcing them to register as foreigners. The DR’s government refuses to comply with the IACHR, regarded by many as a breach of the right to nationality and identity, violating a fundamental human right.

The United States is helping Liberia invests in its long-term health system in light of the recent Ebola epidemic. The epidemic threatens to derail recent progress in Liberia on the health care, education and political front. The slow response of the international community has allowed for the epidemic to overwhelm the health system’s delicate infrastructure.

While journalism is at an all time high in Somalia, the treatment of journalists continues to threaten the safety of many individuals. The Somalian government censors journalistic freedom by prohibiting the publication of controversial material. Experienced reporters are continuously threatened and often must seek refuge abroad.

The justice ministry of Russia is calling for the closure of Memorial, a Russian human rights organization, which was formed in 1989 to fight communist-era repression and discrimination. Currently, a hearing is set for November 13, 2014. The prosecution has not stated on what basis it seeks to close Memorial, since their last attempt to list Memorial as a “foreign agent” failed.

Human rights activists in Azerbaijan are increasingly facing arrest for attempting to highlight government corruption. The arrests are based on alleged “trumped-up” charges in order to keep activists from speaking out against the government. However, the Azerbaijan government maintains that its citizens enjoy freedom of speech.

Three lawyers have been jailed in Saudi Arabia after tweeting unfavorably about the Saudi judiciary. Their jail sentences will run between five to eight years, as well as being banned from social media. Their offense is described as “undermining public order” and “disobeying the ruler.”

The international community is condemning Iran for hanging Reyhaneh Jabbari. Ms. Jabbari was hung after being convicted for killing her alleged sexual abuser. The UN understood her confession to the crime to have been made under threat. Ms. Jabbari was allegedly also kept from seeing her lawyer for two months.

Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister maintains that the “million march” will take place on October 26 despite Indian efforts to stop it. The march is being held to protest India’s human rights violations in Kashmir and will begin in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Saudi Arabia has witnessed an increase in beheadings this year. The death penalty, as currently administered in the kingdom, consists of a single sword swipe to the person’s neck. Human rights activists are calling for an investigation into the reason for the recent increase in executions.

Disclaimer

Information in the Global Human Rights Bulletin does not represent the positions or views of Lawyers Without Borders, a neutral non-profit organization. The Global Human Rights Bulletin is published by the NYLS Student Division independently from its affiliation with Lawyers Without Borders.